The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-10
The Sunday School.
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 10, 1887.
BY REV, ROBERT T. POLK.
SOLEMN WARNINGS.
Matthew vii. 1923.
The Two WAYS.

Our lesson concludes the Sermon on the
Mount The Golden Rule fulfills all the Law
and the Prophets. Obedience to it qualities
for citizenship in the Kingdom of God. BY
it, entrance is gained into the kingdom as by
a gate into an ancient city. Probably, con-
tinuing the figure contained in verse T.
sKnock and it shall be opened unto you,"
JESUS calls it narrow gate. ENTER In
through the (this) narrow gate, for wide is
the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and many are they going through
it. For narrow is the gate and difficult
the way that leads unto life, and few are
they who find it." How few adopt the Gold
en- Rule as the measure of dutyl How few
find the true way of life, which is always the
way of duty and self denial How many are
content to follow the rule of the world, "Do
unto to others as they do unto you'll"
To enter into life is the equivalent of to
center into the kingdom" which required
righteousness exceeding that of the Scribes
and Pharisees, and a hearty doing of the law
the will of the heavenly Father. The equal
ity of the expressions is apparent from
comparison of their use. For examples see
xix. IT; 10 and elsewhere. The 'life" is the
true spiritual life-the 'slife eternal" (Matt-
hew XIV. 46). To enter into the reign or king
dom of the Messiah was to enter upon this
life of faith and righteonsness-"rig righteous
ness, peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.
"This is life eternal, " said JESUS, that
they should know thee, the only true COP,
and him who thou didst send, euen JESUS
CHR1sT'' (John xvii. 81. Acknowledge of GoD
as the Heavenly Father, and of his Son JESUS
CHRIST is the true life of the soul. This knowl-
edge and life are manifested in obedience to
the Golden Rule of JESUS. In his day, but few
walked in the narrow way that leads to life.
As Christian enlightenment goes on, and the
Kingdom of CHRIST is advanced the number
is greatly increased. But those who possess
Christian knowledge and life are still the
minority. At last, 'all the ends of the earth
will turn unto the LORD" land come to the
knowledge of the truth as it is in JESUS,
and the kingdoms of the world shall become
the kingdom of COP who will reign forever.
To go to obstruction" was to go in the
way to miss the privileges and blessings of
the Heavenly Kingdom-the reign of the
Messiah. The Jews expected that when the
Messiah should come and establish his reign
their enemies and those not admitted to his
kingdom would be destroyed. In the phrase
ology and vocabulary of JESUS and the Apos-
ties, obstruction" and "perdition" are en-
ployed as the antithesis of ''life." Those
who obeyed the gospel we're admitted to the
kingdom and entered into eternal life, while
those who obeyed not the gospel were doom
ed to suffer punishment, even eternal de-
struction from the face of the King (the
LoRD). q Thessalonians j. 81 Those (who
had not been merciful and kind as the Gold
en- Rule requires) shall go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life (xxv. 46). AS interpreted by JESUS, eternal
life and punishment or destruction were OPP
posite spiritual states,-the relations of the
soul to the Divine government and its expert
ences. External life'' and ''eternal destruc-
ton" or punishment" denote quality or kind
of life and punishment rather than dura-
tion-the life and destruction pertaining, or
incident, to the reign of the Messiah. Liter
ally it is the life and destruction of the age
(aionios). The ''life' and destruction"
pertains to the 'world to come "only in the
sense of the coming age or dispensation of
the Messiah. The spiritual states described
were not permanent ones. Those who had
entered into life might by apostasy go to de-
struction or perdition, while those who we're
in the broad way that leads to destruction
might, by repentance, through faith and
righteousness enter into life. In JESUS day,the
multitudes by refusing to obey his gospel
went in this way. Bat since his day, by the
power of Christianity In the world, we may
believe that the number in the broad way to
destruction has become comparatively less
The power of the risen and glorifed CHRIST
will finally draw all men unto himself. (John
xii. 35), and make them subjects of his heav-
emily kingdom. In the future world, the same
Divine forces that JESUS introduced in his
kingdom in this world are originally opera
tive, and we believe and teach that they will
be effective in bringing all souls into obed-
ence of the Divine will and the enjoyment of
eternal life,-"will finally restore the whole
family of mankind to holiness and happi
ness"
Their meaning (the words ''life" and ode
struction") in the new application is to be de-
Quoted from their use in relation to visible
buiuS5. i1llo, III luluooo, dOtlflty,
growth, wealth, productive industry, enjoy
ment. The application to the soul is easy and
does not suggest postponement to future
ages. The entrance to the City of Life is
through the narrow gate and the hemmed-in
road. 1t is a city to be entered now, but few
now find it. Few souls are active, growing,
healthful, joyful. Destruction or death, as
the antithesis of life is spiritual inactivity de-
cay, disease, idleness, trouble. The entrance
to the City of Death is broad, and many go
in. The terms are all present and not future.
1t may be that the narrow gate widens as the
world is more and more brought under Christ
ian influences, and the wide gate narrows.
1t is STILL however, true that the many choose
the road where spaciousnesss invites them.
They drift according to their propensities and
passions, with some check from education,
perhaps, and some restraint from their social
environment. 1t will be seen that the con-
trasts of the text have & general application,
as well as that specially in the mind of the
teacher. For the narrow gate is evidently
Demarest, ID. d., S. S. Helper, March, 1850.
To refer the passage to the future world. is
to teach that heaven will only contain few
souls, while the great majority will be damned.
Observe, the gate is put before the way. 1t is
not therefore, the gate out of life, at the end
of the pilgrimage, but the gate into the Christ
ian life, as Bunyan represents it in "Pil-
grim's Progress. "-J. w. Hanson, D. d.,
1.-THE Nelo COcenGnt"
FALSE TEACHERS.
The disciples were warned against the APP
pearance of false teachers (prophets) who